Walking in Fruitfulness - Part 1- David Mitts
"For "WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?" But we have the mind of Christ." 1Co 2:16 (NKJV)
Our proof text or guidebook has been the parable of the sower which we looked at in Mark’s gospel.
"The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."" Mar 4:14-20 (NKJV)
Today, I want to begin to look at the heart condition that brings about the 30-60-100 fold return on the seed of the Word of God.
First let’s be clear about one thing: wherever we are at, we can change. That should be a huge relief to all of us. OK, so what’s going to be our access point to the multiplication of 30-60-100 fold?
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, But his heart is not with you." Pro 23:7 (NKJV).
The key is in our thinking in our heart. Is there a difference in thinking in our head and our heart? I think so. Our mind has thoughts based on what is in our life. Our heart is the container of the thoughts. Like the goldfish bowl, the container limits the growth of the thinker.
Another way to think of it is as boundaries and limitations we set through our belief on our lives.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Pro 4:23 (NIV)
In other translations it speaks of the issues of life that come from the heart. The word “issues” in Hebrew is the idea of where I eliminate what is not me. It is the same root for exit from a building. SO the idea is a word picture of change of authority or responsibility from what is my responsibility or under my authority to what is not.
Another way to think of it is as boundaries and limitations we set through our belief on our lives.
In other translations it speaks of the issues of life that come from the heart. The word “issues” in Hebrew is the idea of where I eliminate what is not me. It is the same root for exit from a building. SO the idea is a word picture of change of authority or responsibility from what is my responsibility or under my authority to what is not.
From this definition, Jim Richards gives the idea of heart boundaries, or faith limits. A way of thinking about this is what we allow ourselves to believe is truly ours. These are our heart “boundaries.”
When we speak of 30-60-100 returns or yields from the seed of God’s word which is multiplicative in nature, then we are speaking about the boundaries in our hearts that allow for that kind of explosive change to occur.
We will go into more depth in the weeks ahead but for right now, I just want us to realize that our belief window, how we see ourselves and our effectiveness in our world affects our world’s makeup.
Now I want to look at the “Mind of Christ.” The Apostle Paul states: “We have the mind of Christ” in 1 Cor 2:16.
The word “Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name. His last name was his family name, maybe something like Ben Yosef, son of Joseph. Christ is also not only a title like King or President. No Christ is a unique word derived from the Hebrew for Messiah. It literally means anointed with oil, which is where we get the word massage from.
What does that have to with thoughts or how we think and the boundaries of our heart? Well the anointing, is the unction to function. The anointing is the transformative power of the Holy Spirit on a Believer’s life. It is the power from on high that transformed scared Peter into the Apostle who helped turn the world upside down.
How does this affect our thoughts and our thinking? The anointing gives us God’s thoughts. These thoughts have focus and purpose:
When we speak of 30-60-100 returns or yields from the seed of God’s word which is multiplicative in nature, then we are speaking about the boundaries in our hearts that allow for that kind of explosive change to occur.
We will go into more depth in the weeks ahead but for right now, I just want us to realize that our belief window, how we see ourselves and our effectiveness in our world affects our world’s makeup.
Now I want to look at the “Mind of Christ.” The Apostle Paul states: “We have the mind of Christ” in 1 Cor 2:16.
The word “Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name. His last name was his family name, maybe something like Ben Yosef, son of Joseph. Christ is also not only a title like King or President. No Christ is a unique word derived from the Hebrew for Messiah. It literally means anointed with oil, which is where we get the word massage from.
What does that have to with thoughts or how we think and the boundaries of our heart? Well the anointing, is the unction to function. The anointing is the transformative power of the Holy Spirit on a Believer’s life. It is the power from on high that transformed scared Peter into the Apostle who helped turn the world upside down.
How does this affect our thoughts and our thinking? The anointing gives us God’s thoughts. These thoughts have focus and purpose:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV)
The anointing, the Mind of Messiah, gives us power to change our thinking into His thinking! Let’s look at some of His thinking.
Good news to the poor. Who would do that? Only one who knows that being poor is just a state of mind. I can have a lot of money and still be poor. Or, I can have very little money and be rich. Paul tells us:
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV)
I used to think of this scripture as: wow what a great attitude! Paul isn’t affected by his circumstances. But what I realized is that I was missing the point. I was trying to understand the scripture which was in the Mind of Christ through the lens of the mind of me, which was rooted in lack. So I thought well I guess I can learn to be OK with wherever I am like Paul, which was a partial truth. However, I realized from the thinking perspective that Paul was telling me that when He changes his thinking from the fishbowl of lack awareness which always leaves us broke, even when circumstances would be otherwise, compared to others, we can never be content.
Paul is giving us the key, in the oft quoted “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” I thought of this as a power promise and didn’t realize it was also a thought changer. You see the promise gives me a picture or the way Yeshua thinks about the issue, in this case the good news to the poor. The good news to the poor is that poverty is a state of mind. Our thoughts in our hearts define the boundaries we believe for and therefore act upon.
I used to think of this scripture as: wow what a great attitude! Paul isn’t affected by his circumstances. But what I realized is that I was missing the point. I was trying to understand the scripture which was in the Mind of Christ through the lens of the mind of me, which was rooted in lack. So I thought well I guess I can learn to be OK with wherever I am like Paul, which was a partial truth. However, I realized from the thinking perspective that Paul was telling me that when He changes his thinking from the fishbowl of lack awareness which always leaves us broke, even when circumstances would be otherwise, compared to others, we can never be content.
Paul is giving us the key, in the oft quoted “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” I thought of this as a power promise and didn’t realize it was also a thought changer. You see the promise gives me a picture or the way Yeshua thinks about the issue, in this case the good news to the poor. The good news to the poor is that poverty is a state of mind. Our thoughts in our hearts define the boundaries we believe for and therefore act upon.
OK. More next week. Let’s activate the anointing for breakthrough in the poverty mindset.
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